No Room for Equality
by starshipbolin
Summary: Yuzuki, a chi blocker, struggles to find her place in the Equalists. Along side her friend Katsuo, she begins to learn that the movement wasn't all that it seemed to be. After Amon's disappearance, everything is turning sour. Maybe she doesn't quite believe in Equality anymore..
1. Bad Beginnings

_Chapter One - A Bad Beginning_

Republic City. It's beautiful on some days and then there are those other days. Not many people wonder the streets at night. I don't blame them. We stalk in the night, taking those who have debts to us. Personally, I don't like doing this. It feels so wrong each and every time. Everything has been going crazy among the Equalists. With Amon gone, there really is no leader. We've split the city into sections. We take cover in the night from the Republic City Police. Everyone in Amon's "Army" is considered a wanted criminal now. It's a hard life, but right now.. it's life.

Tonight didn't have a right feel to me. There was a slight tingle in the air. It was like a ripple. One not easy to tell against the wind blowing against my mask while driving at high speeds through alleyways. _"Do you feel it, Katsuo?"_

Katsuo is my best friend. His eyes are that golden brown that reminded me of fresh baked cookies. His skin is a nice dark olive. Of course, he is muscular from all the years of fighting and then chi-blocker training. Most women swoon over him. I can see perfectly why too. He's absolutely beautiful and he used to love being around women. A little too much actually. But of course, ever since he became friends with me, he stopped. Or the women just didn't jump on him anymore. I guess maybe it's because we look like brother and sister, except he has dark brown hair and I have green eyes. Other than that, we have the same raised cheeks and bone structure.

We spent most of my childhood together. Our parents, my mom and his dad, worked together at one of the factories. My older sister would babysit the both of us. After spending day after day together for sixteen years, we pretty much know everything about each other. And some of those things I never wanted him to know. Let's just say he knows when I got my first kiss and the first time I had sex with an ex-boyfriend of mine. He acted more like a brother than, and still does, but that over protective brother that I didn't need. He just makes me feel like a child despite being a year younger than him.

_"I have no idea what you're talking about, Yuzuki," _he yelled back in reply, raising his hand as to brush off my question.

I hate when he does this to me. Every time he puts on the outfit he becomes colder. I never understood why. Though, the movement has changed a lot of people. My sister, Rin, became heartless. She forgot I was even alive after the accident in my sector. During a shift with my sister, there was a fire. Some Firebenders set fire to the building we were in. She left me behind after I got trapped under a fallen beam. I blacked out but when I came to again I was sitting outside next to my bike. She's head of another sector now and I want to forget all about her. I slow down and stop at the end of an alley that faces towards the statue of previous Firelord, Zuko. Katsuo stops next to me and shuts off his bike. I do the same.

_"You know exactly what I'm talking about! That feeling like something really bad is going to happen tonight,"_ my voice raises slightly but I drop it back down. My eyes dart around to make sure no one is around.

_"Every time you have one of these 'feelings' it turns out to be nothing. Tonight is no different,"_ his voice is stern. He peels back the mask and shakes his head.

There is a bit of rage growing deep inside of me. My feelings have never been wrong. I felt the same thing before and the next day on the news I heard about an Equalist attack in a different sector. Not just the take people, but the killing of others and destroying of monuments. I peel back my mask. The black long mess I call my hair was set free. I swing my leg over and get off the bike.

_"Kat, every time I feel these ripples.. something bad happens. I've seen it! Please. Can we just wait here and see if anything happens?"_

I feels like I'm pleading with him, but there is no other way. He let out a sigh and nodded. I smiled only slightly. It was quiet in Fire Town, as we call it. At night here, most of the firebenders come out to practice. They feel like it's the only time they won't be persecuted for being benders. I watch as a group of teenagers with a couple of mentors come to the front of Zuko's statue. Their movements are beautiful and fluid. I never understood why I became part of the Equalists.

_"Earth to Yuzuki! We have a job to do right now and all you're doing is staring at them,"_ he whispers fiercely right in my face.

My eyes focus back on him. His eyes are cold and calculated. I forgot that our job tonight was to capture these benders and bring them back to headquarters. But the longer I look at them, the sadder I get. I hate capturing benders. Everything else I can handle doing. It's these times when I see them in action that make me sad for even having to think about capturing them. Kat walks away from me and puts his mask back on. I can't move. My legs and eyes won't let me. I hear his bike start up from behind me.

_"Hey! Let's get this done! I want to go home,"_ his tone wasn't nice. Not at all.

Everything happened so quickly. All of a sudden, a truck races past the end of the alleyway. I heard tires screech to a halt and then screams ring out. I quickly snapped back to reality and pulled on my mask. I could see others from our sector start throwing all the firebenders into the back. It seemed like they had been electrocuted and tied up. My body moved fluidly on to my bike and kick started it. Kat and I rode out into the square just as the truck squealed down the street. People came rushing out from their homes and began shouting.

_"They sent out others to get them! Why would they do that?"_ My voice was panicked.

Kat didn't say a word. I got cold chills that he knew exactly what was going on. The tails of our bikes whipped around quickly. We drove off down the alleyway we came out. People were screaming and crying behind us, some men trying to chase after us. They were throwing rocks at our tires hoping to flip our bikes. I tossed a can of smoke behind us to hide us turning down another street. I felt tears welling in the corners of my eyes. I stifled them back and ducked lower into my bike. I can't believe what just happened. This isn't what I wanted, not at all.


	2. This Ends Now

_Chapter Two - This Ends Now_

The drive back to headquarters was silent. I didn't say a word to Kat and he didn't say a word to me. I had a gut wrenching feeling that he knew what happened a minute ago. He just didn't want to tell me. I flicked a button on the speed gauge that opened a trap ramp. I sped up in front of Kat. The secret tunnels were still base of operations because the Republic City Police haven't found all of them just yet. The ramp rose back up behind us. The thud was loud and echoed. In the distance, I could hear forklifts and machinery hard at work. We were here.

Headquarters was an abandoned underground Sato factory. For some reason, the RCP decided to not demolish it like they had done with the others. We were actually thankful for that. The factory held all our equipment and uniforms for new and old members. It was dusty and damp, but it was the only place we had now. I zoomed passed some guys lifting crates of uniforms. I didn't even look at them. I could feel my anger just growing inside a bottomless pit within my body.

I parked my bike in the line against a far wall. I shut it off and put the kickstand down. I threw my leg over to get off when Kat finally pulled up beside me. It seemed like he was actually obeying rules to not drive fast within the facility. I didn't care anymore about the rules, which is very different of me. I pulled my mask off as Kat got off his bike. _"What the hell was that back there?!"_ My anger was about to be unleashed to this unruly world.

_"You know exactly what that was, Yuz! Don't play games,"_ he snapped back at me.

I was a bit taken back by the fact he raised his voice at me. I don't remember the last time he had actually done so. He pulled off his mask and I could see unhappiness covering his face. I wish he would put the mask back on because this wasn't a pretty face. My cheeks felt hot and flushed. My hands curled into fists by my sides. I could feel the fabric of my mask getting hot in my palms. I hope he could see how angry I was because if he can't then he's blind.

_"No, Kat! I don't know what that was and it seems like you know exactly what happened. So, care to tell me?"_ My voice was stern.

_"You really want to know? Okay, fine! I already knew you weren't going to do this job tonight so I told Junko to send a truck after us. You're growing soft to the benders and I told her that too,"_ his tone was serious yet condescending.

I felt the mask drop from my hand. Was he actually serious? I couldn't believe him right now. I felt my jaw drop a little bit in astonishment. His eyebrows were raised and his arms were crossed. He was telling the truth. I could see it in his eyes. That was it. I nodded my head slowly and bit on my bottom lip. Before he even knew it, I raised my arm and punched him clear across the face. Never before have I hit anyone that wasn't in the form of Chi-Blocking. But oh god did this feel so good! He stumbled over a couple of steps and tipped over a bike. That just lead to a chain reaction of falling over bikes but I didn't care. I lifted my knee and kicked him square in the gut. He fell to his knees.

_"How could you? How could you betray me, Kat?! We are like brother and sister. What ever happened to protecting family?"_ I felt tears welling in my eyes.

This could not be happening to me. No, it just couldn't. He was my only family left. Mother is gone and so is Rin. I would have no one without him. I could feel the heat of other bodies begin to form a circle around us. Machinery began to stop. Everyone was stopping to see what was going on. I think the domino bikes gave us away. I watched him try to stagger up but he couldn't. He sat on his knees holding his stomach. His eyes drifted up to me.

_"You aren't my family anymore,"_ he spat blood at my feet.

Tears welled in the corners of my eyes. I could feel more rage stirring inside of me. I just could not stop myself anymore. I raised my foot from the ground and kicked him square in the head. The sickening crack almost echoed throughout the factory. I was never a one for violence. Something just lit a new fire in me. People began calling out for the medical staff. I turned to see Junko running towards the scene.

_"Yuz! What is going on here?"_ her voice made the room go quiet.

Junko was our sector leader. She was more beautiful than most women I have seen. She is quite tall, taller than most men, with chocolate brown hair that just flowed down to her waist. I don't know how she used to get it all up in the mask. That's probably why she is a sector leader and doesn't have to go out in uniform like the rest of us. She probably had the worst life out of all of us. She was part of the main group that Amon trusted. The only woman on that team, actually. I could see why because she's as intimidating as any man could try to be.

_"We're just having a little argument that's all, Miss,"_ I almost hissed out the words.

_"You know better than to use violence! On top of that, Kat told me everything. It is people like you that are starting to tear this movement apart. I suggest that you never return here or to the movement. If you are found in any other sector in uniform, you will be arrested by us,"_ she was serious.

Some of the others began to circle around me. Junko had one arm on her hip and the other pointing out. I didn't want to stick around any longer. It was a mistake to even come back here tonight. I turned quickly and hopped on my bike since it was the only one not tipped over. I fumbled with the kickstand while people screamed at me. Finally, I kick started the bike. I let the back tire squeal as I turned around. Others jumped out of the way as I sped past everyone. I could see the look of disappointment on Junko's face. The ramp was opened for me already so I just drove out like I was supposed to do. I felt like I couldn't get out fast enough. I left my mask broken and battered on the ground next to Kat where they both belong.


End file.
